Listed Measurements: 6-foot-1 ¾, 225 pounds2018-19 year, eligibility: Senior with two seasons of eligibility remaining, including 2018.Depth chart: In 40 days, Wimbush will take Notre Dame’s first offensive snaps against Michigan, barring injury. It is that simple. Expect junior Ian Book to back up Wimbush with incoming freshman Phil Jurkovec getting a more-than nominal chance at taking over that secondary role.Recruiting: A name not often heard anymore led to Wimbush landing at Notre Dame: Blake Barnett. When the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2015 de-committed from the Irish to head to Alabama, the recruiting dominos led to Wimbush de-committing from Penn State and taking Barnett’s former spot. A consensus four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American, Wimbush was rated the No. 4 dual-threat passer in the class by rivals.com and the No. 60 overall prospect in the country.

CAREER TO DATEThe two games Wimbush played in 2015 to provide emergency depth are hardly pertinent anymore, but Malik Zaire’s broken ankle was the sole reason Wimbush played as a freshman and spent his sophomore season preserving a year of eligibility to get back onto a normal timeline.

2015: Two games; 3-of-5 passing for 17 yards and seven rushes for 96 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown run against UMass.
2016: Preserved a year of eligibility.

That timeline resulted in Wimbush starting as a junior as planned, missing only the North Carolina game due to a minor foot injury. His highs were stellar and efficient (14-of-20 for 173 yards with a touchdown and eight rushes for 52 yards and a score at Michigan State), while his lows were correspondingly troublesome (two interceptions at Miami and Stanford each).

2017: 12 games, 12 starts; 136-of-275 passing for 1,870 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. 117 rushes for 833 yards, a 7.12 per carry average, and 14 touchdowns with four fumbles lost (sacks adjusted).

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Irish head coach Brian Kelly has maintained since last season that any mechanical issues Wimbush may have had were the result of mental mistakes, not physical limitations. With the calm of the offseason, Wimbush addressed those issues.

“There definitely is a difference in the way he is performing at that position compared to last year,” Kelly said in late March. “If that continues to trend, that puts in a really good position at quarterback.

“… His drop is consistent, which allows him to get the ball out timely. He was late on a lot of throws last year, and consequently, put himself in bad positions. His accuracy is better, especially on some of the shorter throws. If I would highlight one thing, he’s cleaned up his footwork, which has given him a lot more confidence in getting the ball out on time.”

Aside from those disastrous turnovers in Notre Dame’s two November losses, the greatest criticism of Wimbush traces to his demeanor. Some would call it level-headed, but the lack of fire-and-brimstone from the Irish quarterback stands out in a less than ideal way when trailing 24-20 (and 31-20 and 38-20) in the fourth quarter of a meaningful regular-season finale.

Kelly spent much of spring practice prodding Wimbush to change some of that approach.

“With Brandon, as he plays, he likes to take a deep breath and calm down,” Kelly said the week before the Blue-Gold Game. “What I want him to do is amp it up a little bit. When he’s amped up and he’s talking and he’s communicating, that comforts the other 10 players. Because they know if Brandon Wimbush is out there barking and telling the other guys what to do, they know we’re going to score.

“It’s flipping that role a little bit and putting that on Brandon. I want you to be vocal, I want you to say I want the ball. If the other guys hear that and you have that kind of demeanor and mindset, the other 10 guys are going to be cool customers.”

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO“This isn’t complicated. As Wimbush goes, so will go Notre Dame’s offense. To a large extent, as the Irish offense goes, so will go the season. A quick application of the transitive property indicates as Wimbush goes, so will go Notre Dame’s season as a whole.

“That could be a lot to put on an unproven and inexperienced starter. Wimbush should be the exception to that rule. He displayed his athleticism in his first collegiate action with that 58-yard touchdown scamper. His arm has dazzled in practices for two years now such that it seems it might be unanimous he had the strongest arm on the team last season.

“Will Wimbush make some mistakes this season? Undoubtedly. But the same could be said of any experienced veteran, as well.

“As far as projecting any statistics, let’s defer to Phil Steele’s computers, both because they have a proven track record and because speculating the output of an unknown commodity such as Wimbush sounds like the job for an automated program. They project the Irish offense will average 268.0 passing yards per game. That would top every year of Kelly’s time at Notre Dame aside from 2014’s 285 passing yards per game.

“If Wimbush reaches that mark while limiting turnovers — and that is not even factoring in his legs’ inevitable impact on the game — then the Irish should have little difficulty making the scoreboard work in 2017.”

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2018 OUTLOOKThe internet era of 2018 and its constant churn make it hard to remember Wimbush was a first-year starter last season. No matter how many practice reps a player takes (especially when half of those come on scout team), no matter how much film he watches, no matter how mature he undeniably is, things change when Georgia’s defensive line is chasing you or Hard Rock Stadium has gone full tilt.

It is hard to prepare for those moments without experiencing a few of them. Many of Wimbush’s 2017 hiccups can be justifiably explained away as such. The fourth quarter at Stanford, however, stands out as a worst-case scenario example for 2018. Wimbush ended two consecutive drives with poor throws resulting in interceptions, the first on the drive’s initial play and the second at the goal line to stop the Irish from cutting the deficit to two possessions. Of course, C.J. Sanders’ kickoff return fumble sandwiched between the two did not help matters, nor did the Notre Dame defense giving up touchdowns on three consecutive drives.

When considering gross statistics, Wimbush produced last season. A combined 30 touchdowns cannot be dismissed. When considering percentages and averages, though, his 49.5 percent completion rate and 6.8 yards per pass attempt are both wanting.

If he finds calm in the chaotic moments — Michigan’s defense being the parallel to Georgia’s of last year, and Blacksburg, Va., replacing Miami — then Wimbush will have progressed in the leadership roles Kelly hopes for. Growing just a bit as a passer will then make him the complete threat this offense will need as it looks to revamp a record-setting running game.

Complete two more passes per game and Wimbush’s rate jumps to 58.2 percent last season. It is not a big ask, and one not entirely on his shoulders. Notre Dame’s receivers and tight ends left at least that many passes on the turf across his 12 starts.

Perhaps that should be the starting point for any projections. If Wimbush completes 57 or 58 percent of his passes with a yards per attempt greater than 7.5, the Irish offense will hum. Deferring to Steele’s computers once again, 198.5 passing yards per game equals 2,581 over 13 games. Maybe that is a bit steep, but Wimbush should make up that difference with his legs.

The greatest questions this season, nonetheless, come in a less measurable way. If Notre Dame needs a two-minute drive or fourth-quarter rally to win against Michigan in the opener or at USC in the finale, will Wimbush be able to make it happen? He had two similar moments a year ago, and the then first-year starter fell short in both.

DOWN THE ROADA great season, something in line with the numbers set forth two paragraphs ago, and Wimbush should consider the NFL while the opportunity is at its greatest. His arm strength and 40-speed alone will catch front offices’ attention. Shine against the Wolverines and the Hokies in primetime, and he could be in first- or second-round conversations. Crazier things have very much happened.

A good season, comparable to last year’s stats but with better clutch moments, and Wimbush will presumably return for his final season of eligibility. It is hard to envision Kelly benching a third-year starter with back-to-back double-digit win seasons in favor of a redshirt freshman. At the least, there would be a position competition with Wimbush the frontrunner, although the debate would reignite the moment he had a misstep in the 2019 season.

A 2018 like 2017 in every way could send Wimbush somewhere else as a graduate transfer. The Irish have their quarterback of the future, one supposedly already more technically sound than Wimbush. If Jurkvoec’s lack of experience hardly differentiates from Wimbush’s struggles in big moments, then the youngster will represent the better option moving forward once any eligibility concerns are a moot point.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.